Phonograph attachment for telephone-circuits.



\ No. 667,503. I Patented Feb. 5, |901. 1 A. B. CLARK.

P HONUGRAP ATTACHMENT FUR TELEPHNE CIRCUITS. (Application led July 10,1900.)

nu: mms PETERS cu. Pnoou'mo., wnsnmamu, u, c.

UNTTTD STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALLAN B. CLARK, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR ONE-HALF TO J. ROYBOONE, OF SAME PLAGE.

PHONOGRAPH ATTACHMENTv FOR TELEPHONE-'CIRCUIT'S.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 667,503, datedFebruary 5, 1901.

Application led July 10, 1900. Serial No. 23,2151. tNo model.)

To all whom it may @H/087%.' of said coils to convey the impulsesreceived Be it known that I, ALLAN B. CLARK, a from the phonographthrough the wire 17, citizen of the United States, residing at Nashwithwhich are connected branch wires 18 55 ville, county of Davidson, Stateof 'lennes- 1S 182, leading to the drop-signals l5 15' 152 on see, haveinvented certain new and useful the switchboard and the severalsubscribers Improvements in Phonograph Attachments wires 16 16' 162. forTelephone-Circuits, of which the follow- For each subscribers wire isprovided an ing is a specification. ordinary spring-jack 14 14.-' 142,which nor- 6o My invention relates to means for conveymally connects thesubscribers line with the ro ing phonographic messages overtelephonephonograph-circuit, as shown on the line 162, circuits; and myobject is to provide a phonowhereon the spring-jack 142 is in contactwith graph attachmenttoatelephone-circuit which its contact-point, thuscompleting the circuit will transmit messagessuch as advertising throughthe induction-coil and phonograph. 65 matter, news matter, &c.-todiiferent sub- Each subscribers line of course is conscribers from acentral station without innected with the ground or common returnterfering with the conversation between subwire 8 of central station.The operators set scribers or the operation of the line by the* isindicated diagrammatically bythe numeral operators at the centralstation. 9, the numeral 10 indicating the switch-but- 7o With thisobject in View my invention conton controlled and operated by theoperator zo sists in the means for automatically causwhen a signal ismade by a given drop, in-

ing the transmission of phonographic mesdicating a call in the usualway. sages to a subscriber on a telephone-circuit The numerals l2 and12' indicate switchindependently of any act of the central opplugs, eachhaving a projection 13 13',which 75 erator while the subscriber iswaiting to be projection is adapted to be inserted between connectedwith a given line through a central the contact-springs of thespring-jack in the station and in means for cutting oft' the mannershownin the drawings in order to conphonograph-circuit at the same time thatthe neet the central with the subscriber who operator at the centralstation connects the makes a call, the operator using two plugs, 8osubscriber with central or with the line asked as shown in the drawing,in order to connect 3o for by said subscriber. any two given subscriberswho desire to con- In the drawing I have shown a diagramverse. maticView illustrating my invention as ap- As shown in the drawing, twosubscribers plied at a central station, using for the purat A A' areconnected through the wires 16 85 pose of illustration three subscriberslines. 16', spring-jacks 14 14', plugs 12 12', and the Referring to thedrawing, the numeral 1 inconnecting-wires 11 11'.

dicates a phonograph-record, which is con- It will be observed'that whena plug is intin uously operated in the usual manner, havserted in theswitchboard at central the coring thereon the messages to be conveyedover responding spring-jack will be moved, there- 9o the various lines,said messages constituting by breaking the connection between the sub-4o advertising matter, which it is desired to scriber and thephonograph-circuit. At the communicate in the manner hereinafter desametime such insertion of the plug will conscribed. nect the subscriber onthat line with the op- The numeral 2 indicates the granularcarerator,whoreceives the message and then calls bon button of thephonograph-transmitter, up the subscriber desired, inserting a pluginwhich is connected with the usual diaphragm the switchboard at theproper point for concarrying the stylus 3, that travelsin the recnectingthe two subscribers who desire to conord-path of the cylinder. I connectthis verse. Before the insertion of the plug by phonograph with theground or common rethe operator it will be observed that the sub- 10oturn wire 8 of the switchboard at the central scribers lines arenormally connected with 5o station by the wires 6 and 7 and through thethe phonograph-circuit, so that the moment battery 5 and theinduction-coil 4t, the said any subscriber takes down his receiver andinduction-coil operating in the usual manner places it to his ear hewill hear the message or messages transmitted from thephonographrecord,which operates continuously, and will continue to hearsuch messages until the operator inserts a plugat the switchboard inresponse to the drop-signal made when the subscriber calls, and themoment central responds the subscriber ceases to hear the phonographmessage or messages, thereby prevent-ing any interference whatever withthe operation of the telephone system. It will be observed also that atno time is the operator connected with the phonograph-circuit, so thatthere is no possible interference with the usual operation of thetelephone-circuit at central, and, further, that the transmission of thephonographic messages in no wise depends on any act of the operator, noris he required to perform any special act in addition to the usualmanipulation of the switch-plugs connecting the different subscriberswho desire to converse. It should also be noted that the phonograph neednot be located at central, as it may obviously be placed in thesubscribers office for the transmission of messages from such oice tocentral or to any other subscriber in the same circuit, the essentialrequirement being that the phonograph shall be normally in circuit withthe subscribers lines whenever it is desired to send a message by meansof the phonograph over said lines.

By the term phonograph as used in the specification and claims I intendto cover any form of talking or sound-reproducing machine capable of usein the relation shown and described.

I am aware that it is old to connect a phonograph-record with atelephone-circuit at central in order to convey a message to a givensubscriber that a given line is busyg but in such devices with which Iam familiar the operator is required to insert by one movement what iscalled the busy-plug in order to connect the phonograph with thesubscriber, which remains in position until the operator is informedthat the line desired is not busy, whereupon he is required to removethe said plug and then connect the two subscribers together by means ofthe usual plugs or switches. My invention diiers from this and priordevices of like nature in that the phonograph operates continuously andconveys its messages to the subscribers the moment the receiver isremoved and placed to the ear and central is called and continues todeliver such messages until the operator at central responds, whereuponthe phonograph is disconnected without any special act on the part ofthe operator at central beyond the usual operation of connecting centralwith the subscribers.

Without, therefore, claiming broadly the combination of a phonographwith a telephone-circuit, what I do claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination with a central station of a telephone-circuit andsubscribers lines connected thereto, of a phonograph normally in circuitwith said subscribers lines, and means controlled by the operator, atcentral, for connecting with a given subscriber and at the same timedisconnecting said phonograph from said subscriber, substantially asdescribed. i

2. The combination with a central station of a telephone-circuit andsubscribers lines connected thereto, of a phonograph, normally incircuit with diierent subscribers, springjacks for each subscribers lineat the central station, and a plug adapted to be inserted so as torelease said spring-jacks, and break the connection between thephonograph and the subscriber while connecting the subscriber withcentral or with an other su bscriber through central, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the central station of a telephone system,subscribers lines connected thereto and a common return for the same,with a phonograph, an induction-coil in circuit therewith and connectedwith the common return at the central station, and a Wire connecting theinduction-coil with the subscribers lines at each station, a springjackin each subscribers line normally connecting it to thephonograph-circuit, and a plug adapted to be inserted by the operator tomove the s prin g-jack so as to break the connection between thesubscribers wire and the phonograph, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a central station of.' a telephone-circuit andsubscribers lines connected thereto, of a phonograph normally in circuitwith said subscribers lines, an operators set disconnected from saidphonograph and means controlled by a single movement of the operator atthe central station for disconnecting the phonograph from a givensubscriber when the latter is connected with a given line, substantiallyas described.

5. The combination with a central station of a telephone system andsubscribers lines connected thereto, of a phonograph normally in circuitwith the subscribers lilies and means for connecting any two subscriberswith each other and simultaneously disconnecting said phonograph fromsaid subscribers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALLAN B. CLARK.

Witnesses:

J. ROY BOONE, CHAs. J. DUNCAN.

